


Could Be Worse

by eLJay



Category: My Mad Fat Diary, The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-09
Updated: 2013-04-09
Packaged: 2017-12-08 00:34:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/754905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eLJay/pseuds/eLJay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They meet in a record shop, of course.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Could Be Worse

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own anything you recognize, including characters belonging to Marvel, Rae Earl and E4, or any of the albums named.
> 
> Though there are some cracks against them, I don’t hate the Beatles; I just don’t idolize them the way some people do, and, more importantly, I’m pretty sure Rae and Darcy wouldn’t either.
> 
> Inspired by Mel. :)

Darcy would never ever claim to be a good singer, and she usually avoided inflicting her singing voice on innocent bystanders.  But she’d heard the song somewhere—she’d accuse Clint of getting it stuck in her head, but she was pretty sure he wasn’t a big Oasis fan, and she hadn’t seen him for a few days—and the only way to dislodge an earworm was to sing it out, as everyone knew.  So anybody else who happened to be browsing through the music section was just going to have to deal.

London had the _best_ vintage.  Someone (ahem, Pepper) should have warned her to bring along an empty suitcase to fill with treasures.  She could probably jettison some of Jane’s stuff and the other woman would be none the wiser, but that wouldn’t be fair (or fun, because it would be too easy).  Poor Jane was at the Royal Observatory comparing calculations with other astro-geeks, and though she’d promised Darcy that she’d make some time for sightseeing, it wasn’t looking like that was going to happen.  Darcy couldn’t feel too sorry for her, though, ’cause Jane was happy as a clam hanging out in Greenwich.  While Darcy had enjoyed jumping back and forth over the Prime Meridian, she hadn’t hesitated when Jane told her to go have fun.

Which led to her finding way too many cool things to take back to New York.  She had already bought a cheesy Union Jack shirt for Thor and had been ready to call it good; but then she’d found a pair of lacy gloves and decided that Pepper needed them, and then she had to get gifts for everyone else, too (though Fang was going to have to make do with a postcard).  Now all she was missing was something for Clint, so she looked through the records with a bag of purchases hanging from one arm and the tweedy grandpa hat she’d gotten for Steve stuck on her head, alternately humming and singing against the bland background music.

“ _Today is gonna be the day when they’re gonna throw it back to you_ …  Look at yourself, Lewis,” she muttered.  “Record shopping in your flannel shirt and glasses, wearing a possibly ironic hat and singing that song.  Could you be any more cliché?”

“’Course you could,” a voice said.  Standing on the other side of the rack was a tall woman with long, glossy dark hair.  She made a face when Darcy looked at her.  “Could be worse.  You could be singin’ the Beatles.”

Darcy laughed slightly.  “True.  I guess I have that to be thankful for.”

“Where’re you from, then?” the woman asked, perusing the albums on her side of the display.  Her accent was almost too thick to be real, Darcy thought.

“New York.  That makes me sound like even more of a tool, doesn’t it?”  Darcy sighed.  For some reason—maybe it was being an American in London, maybe it was the woman’s leather jacket—she felt the need to explain herself.  “I swear, I did not cross the Atlantic just to do some hipstery shopping.  I’m really here for work.  Though at the moment I’m just looking for one more present that’s not some tourist kitsch.”

She nodded in agreement.  “We’re down for work, too.  Well, mostly work.”  One eyebrow slightly raised, she smiled in a way that Darcy totally understood.

“What do you do?”

The smile grew bigger.  “I’m a DJ.  My partner and I have a radio show.”

“Cool.  I always wanted to be a DJ.”

The woman moved down the display slightly and Darcy followed.  “Who didn’t?  Getting to spend your time listening to and talking about music you love—I don’t know why that’s not everybody’s dream.”  She inspected the track listing on an album and then shook her head slightly and replaced it.

“What do you play?”

She glanced down at her leather jacket and then back to Darcy, half-smile on her lips.  “Rock and alternative.  Lots of stuff from the ’90s, but not exclusively.  Even play some Oasis every once in a while.”  She winked at Darcy, who grinned back.  This lady was awesome.  She was a few years older, but why couldn’t they have been friends when Darcy was in high school?  Besides the whole different continents thing.

“Right, so you need one more present and you’re looking at records,” she said, businesslike.  “What are you thinking?”

Beyond awesome.  “He’s into classic rock.  Like, the Eagles, Journey, Springsteen…”

The other woman hummed.  “Loud but melodic?”

“Exactly.  I was thinking maybe the Who.  He’s got a thing for targets.”  Darcy smirked.

“Mmhmm.”  Her attention was firmly on the albums in front of her.  Darcy watched curiously as she moved down the row, flicking quickly through the thick cardboard sleeves, focused on the task and the music. 

A man, brown-haired and wide-mouthed, walked up behind her.  “Alright, love?  You ready?”

He was really cute, Darcy thought, and really into her.  Darcy hadn’t been sure if “partner” meant colleague or significant other when the woman had said it before, but from the way he rested his chin on her shoulder and wrapped an arm around her waist, it was obvious.

“Just a minute, Finn.”  She plucked up an album and handed it to him, gaze never leaving the rack.

Reading the name he frowned, dark eyebrows drawing together.  “We’ve already got this.  We’ve got two of this.”

“’S not for us.”

“Who’s it for, then?”  His confusion was adorably puppy-like, even though he had to be in his 30s.  Then again, Steve was the same way, and how old he was was up for debate.  Often.

Without looking up the woman pointed.  “Her.”  Darcy gave a little wave; the man smiled, still confused.

“She’s helping me pick out a present for a friend.”

He nodded.  “And I bet she didn’t even introduce herself, did she?”  The woman hmphed and waved away the social nicety and her partner laughed fondly.  “She’s always been mad about music, our Rae.  I’m Finn.”

“Darcy.”  They shook hands over the display.  “Rae said you’re DJs.  Do you stream online?  I’d love to hear the show, but we’re going home Sunday.”

Finn pulled a business card from a jacket pocket.  “Perfect timing, then, since we’re on weeknights, 10 to 1,” he said, writing on the back of the card.  “I don’t know we’ve ever had international listeners before.  It might make me a bit nervous if Rae weren’t there.”  He smiled, eyes bright and kind, and handed Darcy the card, printed with their names and the station’s information and then scribbled with their time slot.

As Darcy was securing the card into her purse, Rae came to stand next to Finn.  She took back the album she’d given him and stared at it and the other she held, weighing their merits with her face screwed up.  Finn stared at her with open admiration, like Rae was the greatest thing he’d ever seen, and Darcy got that; from the few minutes they’d known each other, Rae seemed pretty rad.  Darcy could only imagine how much someone who’d known her much longer must love her.

After much deliberation she handed Darcy one of the albums: the Stone Roses.  “I know you said the Who, but you could get that anywhere, yeah?  This’s more British.  And it’s one of my favorites.”  Rae smiled almost shyly.

“Thanks.”  She didn’t recognize any of the songs, but there was a track called “Shoot You Down” and another was “Bye Bye Badman” and it would be worth it for those titles alone.  Anyway, it didn’t even occur to her to doubt Rae’s choice.  Together the three of them moved to the clerk, who rang up their purchases and slipped the albums into bags.  Then they stood outside in the weak sunshine.

“D’you want to come for a tea?  Or coffee?  Or a pint?” Finn offered.  But it was later then Darcy had realized, and she had to find her way back to Greenwich, so she shook her head and declined politely, even though she did want to hang out more.

“Thanks again for the help.  I’m seriously looking forward to hearing the show on Monday.  And it was really nice meeting you both.”

Rae pulled an album out of the bag and held it out to Darcy.  “This is for you.  It’s more or less tourist kitsch here, but it’s a classic.”  She shrugged.

It was the Clash’s _London Calling_.  Darcy bit back a laugh and said, “It could be worse.  It could be _Abbey Road_.”

Rae’s laughter echoed through the street.  Darcy couldn’t help but hug her as she thanked her again.  They went their separate ways, and when Darcy looked back she saw Finn cup Rae’s chin and kiss her deeply, even as she smiled.  Then the pair walked on, their fingers twined tightly.

* * *

10 PM in England was only 4 PM in New York.  The show was great: Darcy found that about half of the music was new to her and she jotted down song titles and artists as she listened, and Rae and Finn worked together perfectly.  Rae talked a little more, and sometimes their accents got away from her, and sometimes they made reference to things that Darcy didn’t understand, but it was fun listening to them, especially to hear Rae’s boisterous laugh.

As the show ended, Rae’s strong, confident voice announced, “Alright, you lot, this last song goes out to a kindred spirit in New York.  Go ahead and sing along, Darcy; we can’t blame you.  Remember,” her voice dropped conspiratorially, “it could always be worse.”

Darcy’s laughter joined Rae’s from 3000 miles away as the Gallaghers went into “Wonderwall.”

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Dedications](https://archiveofourown.org/works/751634) by [Melifair](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melifair/pseuds/Melifair)




End file.
